Enhancements at Winter Park include the purchase of two new Sno-Cats, additions to the ski and snowboard rental fleet, new mountain Web cameras and an additional 822 marked parking spaces at The Vintage Hotel.

The story of improvements in ski country this season is one of quality rather than quantity.

Unlike years past, when fall meant the unveiling of expansive new acreage, the hallmark of recent seasons has been upgrading the skier and rider experience.

“We’re completely focused on investing in our resorts to make our guests’ experiences better and better,” said Liz Biebl, Vail spokeswoman. “We’ve been successful doing this and differentiating our resorts over time, and we expect to continue every year.”

A new lift and a revolutionary new app top the list of this year’s improvements at Vail.

The High Noon Express Lift will replace a lift installed in 1979. With service to the popular Sun Down Bowl, the original lift in this location was installed when Vail opened in 1962. The new lift will bring an additional 1,000 skiers per hour (2,400 versus 1,400) to the Bowl and halve the ride time from 12 minutes to six.

In the technology realm, Vail will set itself apart this year with its introduction of the first-of-its-kind EpicMix App. EpicMix runs on radio-frequency identification scanners at each of the 89 lifts on the five Vail Resorts mountains — Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge and Heavenly (in Tahoe) — that will feature the app.

Chips embedded in Vail’s Peaks lift tickets or various season passes allow you to track vertical feet skied and connect the mobile app to your accounts on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to letting you instantly rub in the fact that you got first tracks to your friends stuck at home, you also can find friends and family on the mountain in real time and instant message them. If you don’t want someone to know you’re up on the hill — say, your boss for example — you can disable the locator function.

“Skiing has always been a social activity, sharing your adventures and accomplishments at the end of the day with family and friends, and EpicMix enables guests to choose to do that seamlessly,” said Kathleen Lessman of Vail Resorts.

Of course Vail isn’t the only Colorado resort trying to anticipate its guests’ needs.

Arapahoe Basin, which had the last major terrain expansion in the state when it opened the Montezuma Bowl in 2008, is also getting a new lift.

The $4 million Black Mountain Express, a detachable quad chairlift, will replace the Exhibition fixed-grip triple chair located in the base area, which was installed in 1978. The new lift will have a capacity of 2,000 people per hour, a length of 2,877 feet, a vertical rise of 719 feet and a ride time of just under three minutes. The top terminal of the new lift will be slightly realigned uphill and to the west away from Black Mountain Lodge. The lower terminal will remain in the same location.

Sure, new lifts are nice, but what do you do when you get there?

In response to skier and rider requests, several Colorado resorts will be serving up new terrain “on the side.”

“We have a couple of resorts expanding terrain in response to customers wanting more side country,” said Jennifer Rudolph, a spokeswoman for Colorado Ski Country USA, the trade association that represents the 22 Colorado resorts that are not owned by Vail Resorts. “People have been asking for terrain that’s right on the boundary but still avalanche-controlled. People still have to earn it; this terrain is not going to be served up on a heated gondola.”

Telluride is leading the way in this area with the installation of a new bridge and staircase to the left shoulder of the resort’s Palmyra Peak. Over the summer a helicopter airlifted two steel staircases and a bridge over the ski resort to its final resting place — the span between Gold Hill Chutes 8 and 9. All three components measure 30 inches wide, feature hand railings on both sides and a serrated, grated-steel walking surface. Together, the stairway and bridge combined make up 126 linear feet ascending Telluride’s Gold Hill.

Following up on last season’s terrain expansion, which added 30 percent more expert terrain, Durango Mountain Resort is adding even more terrain for 2010-11, this time on the front side of the mountain. The new, gladed section of the mountain will be known as “The Ambassadors Glade,” named after resort owners Chuck and Sue Cobb, who served as U.S. ambassadors to Iceland and Jamaica, respectively.

Also to cater to more experienced skiers and riders, Eldora is making a substantial effort to improve glade skiing and snowboarding through tree thinning on the advanced and expert terrain of Jolly Jug Glades, Powderhorn Glades, Placer Glades and Brian’s Glades.

Meanwhile, in Aspen, those who have always wanted to check out the Highland Bowl will have a chance through a free guided tour this season. The legendary bowl boasts 2,000 vertical feet of backcountry- style skiing accessed by a 30- to 45-minute hike and optional Sno-Cat ride. The tours run at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays for confident double- black skiers only.

New lifts and terrain access aside, the bulk of the improvements in ski country this season are down-to-earth basics.

“Snowmaking isn’t sexy to talk about but we sure appreciate it in the early season,” Rudolph said. “It’s like that with a lot of the improvements this year. Skiers won’t notice right away, but they’ll be up at their favorite resort and come to realize something has changed for the better.”

What’s new and where

• With the addition of a new 12-foot halfpipe, Aspen and Snowmass will become the only resorts in the world to have three half-pipes. The newest pipe, which is in addition to the Olympic-size superpipe at Buttermilk and the existing 18-foot halfpipe in Snowmass, is for those newest to the sport. The new pipe will be located in Snowmass’ Lowdown Park.

• Breckenridge has a new 22-foot superpipe in which to host training sessions with leaders in the sport. In addition, a new alpine coaster will open at the Peak 8 Fun Park. The Gold Runner will wind guests through loops and curves within the canopy of Peak 8 summer and winter.

• For the $6 million Copper Mountain spent over the summer, the resort has increased its snowmaking capacity by 25 percent, added 40 percent more free parking in the Corn Lot and bought a 22-foot- pipe-grooming Zaugg, which means the resort will be able to have an Olympic- size superpipe the entire season.

• There’s new terrain opening at Echo Mountain Ski and Snowboard Area for the resort’s fifth season. The top-to-bottom Easiest Way Down brings the resort’s named trails to 16. In addition to the new beginner trail, the expansion will also increase access to gladed terrain in Lower Westside Glades.

• For the 2010-11 season, Eldora is installing a magic carpet to help get first-time skiers up the mountain before they’re ready to try a traditional chairlift. The new conveyor lift Tenderfoot replaces the old Tenderfoot handle tow. The new lift extends slightly higher on Ho-Hum Trail and allows for direct access to EZ lift.

• Loveland is replacing its ticketing and point-of-sale system throughout the ski area with a fully integrated system that will smooth guest transition throughout departments.

• At Monarch Mountain, the resort spent $1.2 million building a new base terminal that will allow the Garfield lift to run more efficiently, with fewer stops for skiers and riders getting on and off the lift. The Pioneer quad chair lift has a new offloading ramp at the top. A new yurt for the junior mountain program will be used for registration and as a warming hut for older children, and the The Children’s Center is being remodeled to better serve the littlest skiers and riders.

• At Powderhorn this winter, guests will find new beginner-to-advanced natural features located in three terrain parks on the mountain. The features are being built from Aspen deadfall and other wood.

• Purgatory is also ramping up its terrain park this season. In an innovative approach, the resort constructed the park features out of dirt. By building hits and carving pipes from earth instead of snow, less snow will be needed to open and maintain the parks.

• Silverton Mountain is adding 30 chairs to the line on its one lift, bringing the number of chairs on the line from 59 to 89.

• The beach is coming to Steamboat this season. Visitors can catch some rays at the new Burgess Creek Terrace and Umbrella Bar on the Bear River Bar & Grill Deck, located slopeside in the base area adjacent to the Gondola entrance. In addition, snowmaking increased 27 percent and 30 new and refurbished rails and other features were added to the resort’s four terrain parks.

• While still putting the finishing touches on the Village at Winter Park, the resort is investing in raising the level of guest service. Enhancements include the purchase of two new Sno-Cats, additions to the ski and snowboard rental fleet, new mountain Web cameras and an additional 822 marked parking spaces at The Vintage Hotel. Snowriders can park for free at the hotel and then access the resort via the Village Cabriolet. And The Lodge at Sunspot atop Winter Park Mountain, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012, has a new look inside and out, with more work to come to ready for the celebration.

• The main day lodge at Wolf Creek has a new kitchen and carpeting. Additionally, the water-free, composting restrooms on the top of the mountain are scheduled for completion this season.

It doesn’t get anymore down- to-earth than composting restrooms, so we’ll stop our list here and wish you a happy, snowy season.